lave, supposing
that all had passed as usual, shortly arrived with the basin of salt,
but when she beheld Alnaschar with the sabre in his hand she let the
basin fall and turned to fly. My brother, however, was too quick for
her, and in another instant her head was rolling from her shoulders.
The noise brought the old woman running to see what was the matter, and
he seized her before she had time to escape. "Wretch!" he cried, "do
you know me?"

"Who are you, my lord?" she replied trembling all over. "I have never
seen you before."

"I am he whose house you entered to offer your hypocritical prayers.
Don't you remember now?"

She flung herself on her knees to implore mercy, but he cut her in four
pieces.

There remained only the lady, who was quite ignorant of all that was
taking place around her. He sought her through the house, and when at
last he found her, she nearly fainted with terror at the sight of him.
She begged hard for life, which he was generous enough to give her, but
he bade her to tell him how she had got into partnership with the
abominable creatures he had just put to death.

"I was once," replied she, "the wife of an honest merchant, and that
old woman, whose wickedness I did not know, used occasionally to visit
me. 'Madam,' she said to me one day, 'we have a grand wedding at our
house to-day. If you would do us the honour to be present, I am sure
you would enjoy yourself.' I allowed myself to be persuaded, put on my
richest dress, and took a purse with a hundred pieces of gold. Once
inside the doors I was kept by force by that dreadful black, and it is
now three years that I have been here, to my great grief."

"That horrible black must have amassed great wealth," remarked my
brother.

"Such wealth," returned she, "that if you succeed in carrying it all
away it will make you rich for ever. Come and let us see how much
there is."

She led Alnaschar into a chamber filled with coffers packed with gold,
which he gazed at with an admiration he was powerless to conceal.
"Go," she said, "and bring men to carry them away."

My brother did not wait to be told twice, and hurried out into the
streets, where he soon collected ten men. They all came back to the
house, but what was his surprise to find the door open, and the room
with the chests of gold quite empty. The lady had been cleverer than
himself, and had made the best use of her time. However, he tried to
console himself by removin